human nature at its finest // southwest chicken skillet pie

9 March 2018

I’m always on the hunt for new favorite kinds of easy weeknight recipes. Because I’m busy. We all are. And by the time we get home from work, everyone is starving. But we also get tired of eating frozen pizza so I try to branch out a little and find some recipes that are easy enough for weeknights and toddler-approved. Chicken pot pie is one of the kids’ favorites and I pretty much only cook in my cast iron skillet these days.

Me: Alright, y’all, this is going to be extra yummy.Saurus: I don’t know.Me: It is! It has all of your favorite things in it. And I’m making a special cheesy crust.Saurus: NO! I don’t want cheesy crust!Me: What? Have you been replaced by an alien? You live on cheese. You love cheese.Saurus: But I don’t want the chicken pot pie with the cheese. I want the regular kind.Me: Why? This is better.Saurus: I don’t know. It’s just different. I want it the same.Me: Human nature at its finest.Saurus: I guess I’ll try.Me: Yup. Or you’ll be hungry.

This is the part of the story where I made my family wait an extra 15 minutes for dinner while I took these photographs, the little fox knocked over my lights and in my rush to get him out of the shattered glass, his head collided with my windpipe and I couldn’t talk or breathe right for 3 days.

Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer while you roll out the pie crust.

Preheat oven to 375F

Roll out crust to a size big enough to be able to cover the skillet with about 1" overhanging the edge. I prefer really thick crust so chose to braid mine, giving it almost a double layer, but that's really not required.

Remove skillet from stove and lay crust across filling. Crimp the edges (don't burn yourself!) If you don't do a lattice or braided crust, cut slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.

Brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg.

Bake at 375F for 20ish minutes or until crust is golden. Your filling is already cooked so really all you're doing is cooking the crust.

Top with cilantro, avocado, and diced tomatoes. And Cholula, if you're Husband.